CES 2020 brings with it a beautiful, beautiful hybrid smart-watch. Withings launched their ScanWatch this season which is claimed to be the first hybrid smart-watch with a capability to detect sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation.
Withings is a French consumer electronics company. Over years Withings has produced various analog smart-watches. The very recent product, The Steel HR sport smart-watch is a hybrid fitness tracker with an in-built GPS, a heart rate monitor, and oxygen sensors. Withings unveiled another gem at CES 2019 which was an upgraded ECG version of the Steel HR with an embedded Electrocardiogram tracking. It was called the Withings Move.
ScanWatch, with its SPO2 sensor, can read the oxygen saturation level in blood and hence help in detection of potential sleep apnea which is a very common sleep disorder where a person’s breathing stops and starts several times while asleep. This can lead to improper sleep schedules and fatigue. Or snores, for example.
It also features a multi-wavelength PPG sensor and hence uses light waves to measure the blood volume changes (which might lead to serious blood clogs, heart strokes etc.) and in-turn informs the user about any arrhythmia symptoms they might have.
It is fitted with three electrodes so that any minor or major heart rate changes can be recorded at all times using an electrocardiogram tracker. It also provides fitness level assessments using a VO2 max which measures the heart and muscle ability to utilize the oxygen and convert it into energy during any physical activity. An attractive feature here is that the display stays on during the workout sessions so that you can track your progress at all times.
Coming to the specifications, ScanWatch comes with a PMOLED screen and a round display. It is made out of 316L stainless steel casing and has a sapphire glass face. It is water resistant up to 50 meters. Which means you can shower, or even go swimming with your watch on. It has an excellent battery life for a smart-watch. The battery is claimed to last for 30 days on a single charge. Which is super extraordinary as compared to the apple watch which might give you only about 18 hours of maximum usage on a single charge.
It connects to your phone via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and also gives you a hassle free time switching in case you travel a lot. The only physical interaction would be with the side button which can be used to view the heart rate, time, notifications from various applications, or to switch between several workout plans (a total of 30 including cycling, walking and running). It is a bit difficult to read text messages on a small display but it is a good catch anyway. It can also be used as an alarm but it only gives a slight vibration so it might not be very useful for deep sleepers. Again, it will always notify you of all the phone calls even if your phone is somewhere on silent mode. There is a daily step counter at the bottom of the watch which you can set according to your goals which gives a star every time your goal limit is reached. Hence you know where you fall short and your watch is a forever reminder for you to stay active and healthy all the time.
ScanWatch is designed in such a way that you can incorporate it into your daily life considering the elegancy and classicality of the product. The light weight makes it very suitable to wear it during sleep. The belts can be easily switched to match your preferences.
It is compatible with both iOS and Android and uses the Health Mate App to pair. As for the cost, it is currently priced at around $250(about Rs.18000) for the 38mm and around $300(about Rs.21000) for the 42mm variant. As for now, despite using all the necessary hardware and delivering all the promises ScanWatch still awaits approval from the CE in Europe and the FDA clearance in USA. But it is sure to count its steps and rock the shelves in both Europe and USA very soon.
TECHnBUZZ 